By Tony O’Reilly-
Bookies favourite, Rishi Sunak, has become the first Mp to reach the 100 backers needed to run in Monday’s ballot to be the next party leader and prime minister.
He attained the necessary numbers, days in advance of the deadline given for contenders to assemble their support to be eligible for the party leadership contest. MP Tobias Ellwood MP claimed to be Mr Sunak’s 100th supporter, tweeting “the reset begins”.
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The former chancellor is considered by his supporters to be the most fit to take lead the party, given his outstanding leadership qualities and unarguably high level of intelligence. He was born in Southampton, England, to parents of Indian origin who had emigrated from East Africa.
Sunak is perceived to be a steady hand on the economic tiller, as he correctly predicted the market crisis sparked by Truss’s policies when she slashed taxes and sent the British pound plummeting. He called Truss’s proposed economic reforms “fairy tale” economics before she took office, an assessment that is likely to lend credence to his image of fiscal responsibility.
“It is abundantly clear that Rishi Sunak has what it takes to match the challenges we face — he is the right person to lead our Party,” former cabinet minister Sajid Javid said, announcing his support.
“He has the talent, integrity, and humility necessary to provide us with a fresh start and a steady hand,” another Conservative lawmaker Gavin Williamson tweeted.
Sunak’s loyalists point out that during the previous leadership contest against Truss this summer, his candidacy received the most support from his parliamentary colleagues. And many of his economic ideas have turned out to be prescient, those backers say.
Not all are so gushing.
Mr. Sunak is the frontrunner against Mr Johnson, who had less than half that number. Commons leader Penny Mordaunt had 21 backers, according to a BBC tally.
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Mr Johnson has told allies he is “up for it” and would fly back from his holiday in the Dominican Republic to enter the race
Some observers feel Johnson might face difficulty in reaching the 100 votes after his three-year tenure was blighted by scandals and allegations of misconduct.
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Jacob Rees-Mogg this morning announced his support for Mr Johnson on Twitter.
Mr Sunak will automatically become party leader and prime minister if his opponents – Penny Mordaunt and possibly Boris Johnson – fail in their bids to win 100 nominations from their fellow Conservative MPs.
Mr Johnson and former Mr Sunak have become leading potential contenders to replace Ms Truss as the leadership contest gathers pace.
Announcing her bid for the Tory leadership, Ms Mordaunt tweeted that she has been “encouraged by support from colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest”.
“I’m running to be the leader of the Conservative Party and your Prime Minister – to unite our country, deliver our pledges and win the next GE.”
Mr Johnson is said to be on his way back to the UK from his Caribbean holiday, with the weight of several dozen MPs behind him, but Ms Mordaunt is still the only one to have declared her intention to run.
Ms Truss resigned this week after 45 chaotic days in the top job — the shortest term ever for a British prime minister.
Mr Johnson has 44, and Ms Mordaunt 21.
The process to determine the next Conservative leader has been shortened since Ms Truss emerged the victor in summer’s ballot, with nominations closing on Monday, and a new leader to be declared on Friday. Each nominee needs at least 100 backers from the 357-strong Conservative House of Commons cohort (a higher threshold than previously), capping the number of contestants to three.
The final two candidates will be put to the Conservative Party’s 172,000 members in an online vote.
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